Brian Cushing wants to finish his career with Texans

Cushing, of course, has been a football-playing Texan since 2009, when he was taken 15th overall in the NFL draft. But his new contract extension through 2019 seemingly ensures he might even be speaking with a drawl by the time he hangs up his helmet with the bull’s-head decals on it.

“I couldn’t be more excited for the future that this team has, and being a part of it for the long haul,” he said at a morning Reliant Stadium news conference called to officially announce the deal. “This is a no-brainer for us to be here. This is an organization I love and want to be part of for the rest of my career.”

That the contract got done, guaranteeing him $21 million that included a $9 million signing bonus, spoke to Texans’ inordinately high opinion of the fiery, intense inside linebacker, who is coming off major reconstructive knee surgery. Not every franchise would have shown a player that kind of money without him first proving he was the same player be was before he got hurt.

But general manager Rick Smith admitted Cushing had unequivocally earned the team’s trust with his work ethic, which he displayed daily through the arduous rehab process he went through recovering from a torn ACL.

“Trust is something that’s earned,” Smith said. “Over time that’s something that has developed. It’s something Cush is directly responsible for. He’s shown us we can count on him. He’s shown us throughout the course of this process that he was committed to returning even better than he was before.”

“I attacked it pretty well,” Cushing said of his efforts, which he kept Smith personally apprised of by regularly sending photos and videos of what he was doing. “I wanted to be healthy. I wanted to be back on the football field for this team and these guys. Rick and I have had a great relationship. He saw the way I came back. He monitored me pretty close.”

Cushing called the period after he got cut down from behind on what’s now an illegal block in the Monday-night game against the Jets last Oct. 5 “a pretty dark time, having the season taken away. Watching the guys go out and practice every day and not being able to contribute was a helpless feeling, something I didn’t want to feel anymore. It motivated me to push every single day. Looking back on, it made me a stronger person, both physically and mentally.”

“Having Rick’s trust, that the organization would do something like this, I’ve never been more excited to play football. A lot of people, a lot of critics out there, are asking if I’ll be back and what form I’ll return to. But anyone who knows me and knows my work ethic knows I’ll be back better than ever.”

The former AFC Defensive Rookie of the Year said he was especially motivated to continue his internecine rivalry with defensive end J.J. Watt, who delivered an historically great season last fall despite Cushing’s injury, earning NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors in just his second season.

“We look at ourselves as a duo, a two-headed monster that’s going to have to be dealt with for a long time,” Cushing said. “He’s an unbelievable football player to play with and I feel he feels that way about me as well. I kind of groomed J.J. coming in, taught him some ways, and he ran with it with me out last year. Having the both of us back together is exciting. We want the best for each other and for the team.”

Photo: Smiley N. Pool / Chronicle

Image 1of/11

Caption

Close

Image 1 of 11

<center><strong>QBs</strong></center>
Players to know: Matt Schaub, T.J. Yates, Case Keenum.
Review of the group: Schaub is a proven starter. Yates played better in preseason than he
did last season. Keenum has been the biggest surprise since the start of the offseason program. The backup positions are in solid hands.
Needs polishing: Yates hasn’t played in a meaningful game since his rookie season in 2011. Keenum hasn’t played in a meaningful game since he was a senior at the University of Houston in 2011.
Comment: Schaub is under excruciating pressure to play consistently throughout the season. If the Texans are going to realize their goal of earning their first trip to the Super Bowl, he can’t have a four-game stretch with one touchdown pass, as he did at the end of last year. less

<center><strong>QBs</strong></center>
Players to know: Matt Schaub, T.J. Yates, Case Keenum.
Review of the group: Schaub is a proven starter. Yates played better in preseason than he
did last season. ... more

Photo: Smiley N. Pool / Chronicle

Image 2 of 11

<center><strong>RBs/FBs</strong></center>
Players to know: RB Arian Foster, RB Ben Tate, FB Greg Jones.
Review of the group: If he stays relatively healthy, Foster is a consistent back who can rush for 1,200 to 1,500 yards and score double-figure touchdowns. When he’s healthy, Tate could start for some teams. Jones is a powerful lead blocker with nine years of experience.
Needs polishing: This is a veteran group, and nothing needs polishing.
Comment: With the 268-pound Jones clearing holes for Foster and Tate, the Texans could have the best 1-2 punch in the NFL, but both have to stay healthy. This is the last year on Tate’s contract. less

<center><strong>RBs/FBs</strong></center>
Players to know: RB Arian Foster, RB Ben Tate, FB Greg Jones.
Review of the group: If he stays relatively healthy, Foster is a consistent back who can rush for 1,200 ... more

Photo: James Nielsen / Chronicle

Image 3 of 11

<center><strong>WRs</strong></center>
Players to know: Andre Johnson, DeAndre Hopkins, Keshawn Martin, DeVier Posey, Lestar Jean.
Review of the group: After Johnson, the perennial Pro Bowl selection coming off a 112-catch, 1,598-yard season, the Texans are incredibly young and inexperienced at this position. No one else has more than one season on the active roster. Nobody else had more than 10 catches last season.
Needs polishing: Every receiver on the roster other than Johnson. Jean is in his third season, but he spent his rookie year on injured reserve. Martin and Posey are in their second seasons, and Hopkins is in his much-hyped rookie year.
Comment: Johnson, 32, has to stay healthy for a second consecutive season. Hopkins must rebound from a concussion in the preseason and continue to improve. Posey will be eased in from surgery on his Achilles tendon. Jean was the biggest surprise in preseason. Martin should be the slot receiver. less

<center><strong>TEs</strong></center>
Players to know: Owen Daniels, Garrett Graham, Ryan Griffin.
Review of the group: This position appears to be set. Entering his eighth year, Daniels is coming off his second Pro Bowl season. He’s still Matt Schaub’s second-favorite target behind Andre Johnson. Graham has established himself as a formidable talent in two-tight-end formations. Griffin is a talented rookie who has ideal size (6-6, 259) and a solid work ethic.
Needs polishing: Griffin is a rookie who needs a lot of polishing. If he’s active, he’ll have to contribute on special teams. They might keep a young tight end on the practice squad because Gary Kubiak likes to keep four around in case of an injury.
Comment: Daniels and Graham, the Wisconsin duo, combined for 90 catches, 979 yards and nine touchdowns. With James Casey gone, expect those numbers to increase significantly. less

<center><strong>TEs</strong></center>
Players to know: Owen Daniels, Garrett Graham, Ryan Griffin.
Review of the group: This position appears to be set. Entering his eighth year, Daniels is coming off his ... more

Photo: Brett Coomer / Chronicle

Image 5 of 11

<center><strong>O-line</strong></center>
Players to know: T Duane Brown, G Wade Smith, C Chris Myers, T Derek Newton, T Ryan Harris, G Brandon Brooks, G/C Ben Jones, G/T David Quessenberry, C/G Cody White, T Brennan Williams.
Review of the group: Brown, Smith and Myers were voted to the Pro Bowl last season. Expect Newton to improve on last season’s performance at right tackle. The coaches believe Brooks will solidify right guard. Jones can play guard or center. Quessenberry can play guard or tackle. Williams is way behind because of a knee injury.
Needs polishing: Newton has to play better than last season, when he was a first-time starter. Brooks must live up to the coaches’ high expectations for him. Williams and Quessenberry are talented but have a lot to learn as unproven rookies.
Comment: Brown is one of the NFL’s premier left tackles. Myers is a top center. Smith has to recover from arthroscopic knee surgery in camp. Newton and Brooks must make sure the right side of the line becomes consistent and not a liability. less

<center><strong>D-line</strong></center>
Players to know: DE J.J. Watt, DE Antonio Smith, NT Earl Mitchell, DE Jared Crick, DE Tim Jamison, NT Terrell McClain.
Review of the group: Watt was voted NFL Defensive Player of the Year. Smith, who’s suspended for the San Diego opener, is coming off his best season. Mitchell is starting for the first time, but he played more than starter Shaun Cody last season.
Needs polishing: It’s difficult to imagine an untested player among the top six. Some young players who have flashed are best suited as candidates for the practice squad.
Comment: McClain was terrific in preseason. Crick, entering his second season, and Jamison, coming off surgery to repair a ruptured Achilles tendon, has to do a reasonable impersonation of Smith until he returns. Watt insists he can play better. If he does, expect him to be voted Defensive Player of the Year again. less

<center><strong>LBs</strong></center>
Players to know: ILB Brian Cushing, OLB Brooks Reed, ILB Joe Mays, OLB Whitney Mercilus, ILB Tim Dobbins, ILB Darryl Sharpton, OLB Bryan Braman; OLB Sam Montgomery, OLB Trevardo Williams, OLB Willie Jefferson.
Review of the group: Having back a healthy Cushing should help improve the defense. Cushing, Mays, Sharpton and Dobbins finished last season on injured reserve. Reed and Mercilus, a first-time starter with six sacks as a rookie, need to combine for 16 to 20 sacks.
Needs polishing: The top four inside linebackers are established veterans. They have rookie backups who need a lot of refinement. Jefferson has been the biggest surprise.
Comment: Inside and outside linebacker are physical positions, especially in a 3-4. Injuries play such a crucial role in productivity. Cushing is the leader who should return to Pro Bowl form. Reed is established. The question is whether Mercilus will have a sophomore slump or improve as a pass rusher. less

<center><strong>CBs</strong></center>
Players to know: Johnathan Joseph, Kareem Jackson, Brice McCain, Brandon Harris, Roc Carmichael, A.J. Bouye.
Review of the group: Joseph is healthy and should improve on last season, when he played hurt and was voted to a second consecutive Pro Bowl. Jackson gets better and better. McCain, the slot corner, needs to play like he did in 2011. Harris, entering his third season, can play safety in a pinch.
Needs polishing: Carmichael is going into his third season, and he’s being pushed by Bouye, the undrafted free agent who has impressed the coaches since the start of the rookie minicamp.
Comment: If they stay healthy and Jackson continues to improve, he and Joseph could give the Texans one of the league’s better starting twosomes. McCain has a new contract after finishing last season on injured reserve. Harris needs to play like a former second-round draft choice. less

<center><strong>Safeties</strong></center>
Players to know: FS Ed Reed, SS Danieal Manning, FS Shiloh Keo, FS D.J. Swearinger, SS Eddie Pleasant.
Review of the group: Reed has yet to play because of arthroscopic surgery on his hip. Getting him back by the opener would be a luxury. He could miss regular-season games. Manning is a solid veteran who can play either safety position. Manning will have to nurse-maid young players who need veteran leadership to develop.
Needs polishing: Keo is a three-year veteran starting for the first time until Reed returns. The coaches say Keo had a good camp and preseason and feel good about his capability. Swearinger is a hard hitter who’ll come off the bench and play about 50 percent of the time.
Comment: Reed and Manning will be a savvy, talented, veteran twosome when they finally are on the field at the same time. Swearinger and Keo are hard hitters who are going to make big plays but also make mistakes because they’re learning on the run. less

<center><strong>Specialists</strong></center>
Players to know: P Shane Lechler, K Randy Bullock, DS Jon Weeks, KR Keshawn Martin, PR Keshawn Martin, PR Shiloh Keo.
Review of the group: Lechler is a 14-year veteran who’s one of the greatest punters in NFL history. He can affect field position and have an effect on games. Weeks is an outstanding snapper for kicks and punts. Martin did an OK job as the primary return man last season after Trindon Holliday was placed on waivers.
Needs polishing: Bullock is an untested NFL kicker. He was exceptional at Texas A&M and the first kicker to be drafted (fifth round) by the Texans, but he spent his rookie season on injured reserve. The coaches have confidence in him as a field-goal kicker and on kickoffs.
Comment: Lechler is a seven-time Pro Bowl selection who’s led the league in gross and net average four times. Bullock is the team’s first kicker without a proven NFL résumé. less